A process for the manufacture of a 1,2-epoxide is described in the published European patent application EP 2149569. The publication describes the catalytic oxidation of an olefin using a water soluble manganese complex as the oxidation catalyst and hydrogen peroxide as the oxidant. The process described is carried out in a multiphasic system, such as a biphasic system, having an organic phase, which may be a liquid phase or a gaseous phase, and an aqueous phase. For this reason, the 1,2-epoxide is produced with a desirable selectivity towards the 1,2-epoxide, while providing an improved ease of isolating the produced 1,2-epoxide.
However, while the epoxide product is produced at a desirable selectivity and is easily separated, the economics of this process depend on both the efficiency of the catalyst described by the turnover number (TON) and the efficiency of the oxidant utilization described as yield.
Therefore, there is a need for a process and composition for improving the oxidant efficiency and TON of a catalytic oxidation process.